New Insights on the Terpenome of the Red Seaweed Laurencia dendroidea (Florideophyceae, Rhodophyta)
Louisi Souza de Oliveira,
Diogo Antonio Tschoeke,
Aline Santos de Oliveira,
Lilian Jorge Hill,
Wladimir Costa Paradas,
Leonardo Tavares Salgado,
Cristiane Carneiro Thompson,
Renato Crespo Pereira,
Fabiano L. Thompson
Affiliations
Louisi Souza de Oliveira
Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373-CCS-IB-BLOCO A (ANEXO) A3-202, SAGE-COPPE, Rio de Janeiro 21941-599, Brazil
Diogo Antonio Tschoeke
Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373-CCS-IB-BLOCO A (ANEXO) A3-202, SAGE-COPPE, Rio de Janeiro 21941-599, Brazil
Aline Santos de Oliveira
Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Rio de Janeiro (IFRJ), Campus Duque de Caxias, Avenida República do Paraguai, 120, Sarapuí, Duque de Caxias 25050-100, Brazil
Lilian Jorge Hill
Research Institute of the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro, Rua Pacheco Leão, 915, Jardim Botânico, Rio de Janeiro 22460-030, Brazil
Wladimir Costa Paradas
Research Institute of the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro, Rua Pacheco Leão, 915, Jardim Botânico, Rio de Janeiro 22460-030, Brazil
Leonardo Tavares Salgado
Research Institute of the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro, Rua Pacheco Leão, 915, Jardim Botânico, Rio de Janeiro 22460-030, Brazil
Cristiane Carneiro Thompson
Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373-CCS-IB-BLOCO A (ANEXO) A3-202, SAGE-COPPE, Rio de Janeiro 21941-599, Brazil
Renato Crespo Pereira
Departament of Marine Biology, Federal Fluminense University (UFF), Morro do Valonguinho, s/n, Centro, Niterói 24001-970, Brazil
Fabiano L. Thompson
Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373-CCS-IB-BLOCO A (ANEXO) A3-202, SAGE-COPPE, Rio de Janeiro 21941-599, Brazil
The red seaweeds belonging to the genus Laurencia are well known as halogenated secondary metabolites producers, mainly terpenoids and acetogennins. Several of these chemicals exhibit important ecological roles and biotechnological applications. However, knowledge regarding the genes involved in the biosynthesis of these compounds is still very limited. We detected 20 different genes involved in the biosynthesis of terpenoid precursors, and 21 different genes coding for terpene synthases that are responsible for the chemical modifications of the terpenoid precursors, resulting in a high diversity of carbon chemical skeletons. In addition, we demonstrate through molecular and cytochemical approaches the occurrence of the mevalonate pathway involved in the biosynthesis of terpenes in L. dendroidea. This is the first report on terpene synthase genes in seaweeds, enabling further studies on possible heterologous biosynthesis of terpenes from L. dendroidea exhibiting ecological or biotechnological interest.
